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Excited to be a part of the Forum and this website!
AwakeEnergyScouter replied to captkeating's topic in New to the Forum?
Welcome, @captkeating! I can relate to your excitement about reconnecting to scouting as an adult leader! I'm sure you will have a great time together, while Building a Better World while you're at it! I saw a joke BSA leader badge on Etsy the other day that said "CAT HERDER" and that seems to be the job as a cub scout leader! Good for you for stepping up! I'm thinking about incorporating collaboration games into next year's pack meetings to give the cats some focused experiences with what happens when you collaborate vs don't 😂 - Today
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Dear Scouters, I just wanted to introduce myself and say what a great resource this website is and how excited I am to be a part of it! I am overwhelmed (in a good way) by the amazing resources available about and for Scouting. I was a Scout as a youth decades ago. I achieved the rank of Life Scout, and I was also Senior Patrol Leader. Last year, I volunteered to be my son's den leader, which was my first experience as an adult leader. I have many fond memories as a Scout, and Scouting is one of the main reasons I love the outdoors as an adult. We go camping as a family every year w
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captkeating - welcome to the forum -
I certainly hear and appreciate your frustration, and I can tell that your frustration is from a commitment to have a thriving, growing, valuable program that works and helps the Scouts get the leadership and life skills that will truly make a difference for them. I think that part of what inherently frustrating (potentially) about a program like this is that we are a volunteer army, and everyone, Scouts and adult leaders alike, are at varying levels of experience and leadership. I know that when I said yes to being my son's den leader last year when he joined as a Lion, it had been deca -
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Is traveling in convoys allowed?
InquisitiveScouter replied to Tatung42's topic in Issues & Politics
And, for the history buffs, see page 49 in the attachment, right side, #10. 2007 Printing, BSAGuideToSafeScouting.pdf -
Take out point 5, everything else applies when drivers are on their own. Before cell phones, we moved a whole troop of 120 six-hundred-miles and ended up at the destination with in 15-20 minutes. So it works well. Before cell phones, we used radios that had a range of 50 miles. Our trailer broke an axle in Colorado and all other cars knew within minutes. A plan was set to which car would help and which ones would continue to next stop at a safe place for a bunch of scouts. Much better than stopping a whole caravan of cars along side a busy two lane highway. Barry
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Here’s a great winter Scout hat
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Historycop joined the community -
Where I have seen it “fail” is when you get on local roads with traffic lights. It can easily split up and cause people to either brake hard or “blow” a light. Not good stuff.
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May 2, 2024: "ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel on Thursday sentenced a former Boy Scout volunteer to 22 years in prison for hiding cameras in bathrooms at a St. Francois County, Missouri scout camp. Judge Sippel also ordered David Lee Nelson to pay $55,000 in special assessments that will go to a fund for victims and prevention programs and $6,810 to pay for counseling for the victims in this case. After he gets out of prison, Nelson will be on supervised release for life, with special conditions that include a prohibition against any contact with minors without permi -
I don't remember the prohibition against convoying on the old tour permit but we usually only had 3 vehicles when going anywhere and we made sure everyone understood the route we were taking before setting out. The difference often being that the drive leader HAD to lead from the front rather than middle as on a hike. I suppose others would have called that convoying, we called it being aware and keeping the group together.
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As I noted earlier, the old tour permit specifically noted no convoying or caravaning. It was on the permit someplace and had to be noted and signed. But, basically, as noted here everyone should know where they are going in case they get lost. Meet up places for head count is a good idea. Most importantly have some sort of connection other than vision to the others.
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convoy so that if a vehicle has a failure, we can still get the youth/adult to the train on time. And the wounded vehicle can sort out repairs later. 4. Things happen. Run out of gas. Bathroom stops. 5. Lead MUST know the number of vehicles following, and MUST have a good sense, well perfect, of what the last vehicle looks like headlight wise. 6. A written list of cell phone numbers distributed to all drivers, and if not, MUST exchange cell phone numbers to lead and tail drivers. 7. Tail driver NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, passes the second to last driver. The tail driver is
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Very interesting thread. After 25 years of adult participation-never heard mention of the "no convoy" rule. As a lawyer, I've read a great deal of BSA documents on policy, 2 deep leadership, guide to safe scouting (no boomerangs, rats), stoves, liquid fuels. use of words with more than 7 syllables but less than 10 syllables, best practices to avoid plummeting space junk (NASA branded but ownership denied), bull roarers (OK-I think), coracles (nope), etc. A scouting professional once "corrected me" telling me that "scouting is not complicated." Compared to a soccer program
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Another suggestion is ask the SM if it's okay if you plan and host ILST. They might just be overwhelmed, maybe they are even unaware it needs to be done annually and is a pre-req for scouts wanting to do NYLT. Or that it's their job to do it. I know my first year as a SM was super overwhelming and I had been an adult scouter and ASM for many years before taking on the job. The first year I was SM we didn't have OA elections - I didn't know I was supposed to request them and no one told me lol. Oops! Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by ignorance! Make the -
From what I can recall as a youth: I had a parent who was also a registered leader. At the troop level, it felt like the program was harder because I had one less adult to sign requirements. Parents were forbidden to approve their own child's requirements or sit in BOR. Neither my brother nor I made it close to Eagle. My father stayed in the program long after my brother and I left it for other activities. Now as an adult, I can speak from both experiences. I started as an adult of a Cub, where I could guide and encourage my young scout from the sidelines. Later on I became a den leader. -
I'll offer my experience/observation at the Cub level, since my boys didn't continue past AOL. I was DL or ADL for both boys during their Cub years. Sometimes I felt bad during some activities due to not always being able to assist my boys while assisting other scouts/parents. I don't think that's the reason neither decided to continue scouting but maybe/might/coulda been a better experience. On the plus side, both boys where always up to date on requirements & never late for meetings or campouts. -
I think it used to be policy to not convoy. Still it is best practice to avoid them. Even if you meet together and travel as a group, make sure each driver has directions and knows where the destination is. Drivers should be focused on the road, not trying to stay together in a convoy. Have a plan to communicate, whether it is by cell phone, walkie-talkie, whatever.
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I would start talking to the other adults in the room. Do they like the program the way it is? If others think the program can improve they can help you. Do you know the CC succession plan? If I am CC and I have a SM that is absent every other week, I would be concerned. Are there registered ASMs/adults to keep 2-deep leadership? Or, you might have come across a group that thinks this is the way scouting goes, is happy with adults running the show, doesn't care for a strong PLC/patrol method... You will have to figure out if you can lead change in this group, or cut your losses and find a stro
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While I seldom drive any distance now, and try to stay off the freeway too, when I do, I am often considered an annoyance, or worse by others. I obey speed limits and when I am on the freeway, I try to not hinder others, but do adhere to that speed. If I am on cruise at the max limit and in the center, for the most part, I will not move over just so someone else can speed, especially when moving would then interfere with my safety. The right lane is the most difficult because it is the entry and exit lane most of the time. I will move to it when light traffic and not dangerous. And I also
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Chapter 11 announced - Part 14 - Plan Effective
clbkbx replied to MYCVAStory's topic in Issues & Politics
I see this idea often, not just from @HICO_Eagle “The BSA would have done something if only the abused kid would testify.” First, that’s pretty classic blame the victim. Second, in my case in the 90’s, an ASM did raise concerns and was told it was fine and the YP rules were being followed. After several years of abuse I did testify, on my own with the support of my family and zippo from BSA. So it’s always frustrating to read that because in the instance I know, the exact opposite happened. I doubt I’m one in a 100 thousand. On balance wouldn’t it have been much much bette -
Is traveling in convoys allowed?
InquisitiveScouter replied to Tatung42's topic in Issues & Politics
Traveling in convoys or caravanning used to be specifically prohibited. Not anymore, insofar as I can see, either. The practice itself is not bad. It's that, as pointed out above, drivers have a penchant for breaking laws and creating unsafe conditions while "trying to keep up." The focus is now on distracted driving, which is a leading cause of accidents. And the admonition to obey all traffic laws... The drive to and from any Scouting event is the highest risk / most dangerous part of the event. Here are a few resources for reference: Guide to Safe Scouti -
AsstScoutmaster259 joined the community -
The Marshall Project, according to their website, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system....We don’t approach any issue with an outcome in mind. Our reporters examine all sides of an issue and follow the facts where they lead. We focus on criminal justice as an arena where power is often abused; our goal is to expose injustice. Article begins discussing the tragic Sarah Birchmore case in detail. Attorneys for the Boy Scouts responded by calling child sexual abuse a “broad societ
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I'm looking for the following in some scout pants: Baggy/loose fitting Low priced Will last a long time If anyone has recommendations I'd appreciate it -
One of the reasons I was surprised to have them eliminate the filing of the Tour Permit. That was another check to try and make sure rules were followed, as the permit had them and also included verifications of insurance and so on.
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Should still be there. National added it when they found scout car accidents occur more often in convoys. Following drivers pay less attention when the aren't navigating and often break traffic laws trying to catch up to the lead car. A lot of motorcyclist have accidents in group rides for the same reason. We found that all the cars typically show up to the destination within 15 minutes even after a 600 mile day. Of course the the SM always showed up first. Barry
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By AwakeEnergyScouter · Posted
Welcome, @captkeating! I can relate to your excitement about reconnecting to scouting as an adult leader! I'm sure you will have a great time together, while Building a Better World while you're at it! I saw a joke BSA leader badge on Etsy the other day that said "CAT HERDER" and that seems to be the job as a cub scout leader! Good for you for stepping up! I'm thinking about incorporating collaboration games into next year's pack meetings to give the cats some focused experiences with what happens when you collaborate vs don't 😂 -
By captkeating · Posted
Dear Scouters, I just wanted to introduce myself and say what a great resource this website is and how excited I am to be a part of it! I am overwhelmed (in a good way) by the amazing resources available about and for Scouting. I was a Scout as a youth decades ago. I achieved the rank of Life Scout, and I was also Senior Patrol Leader. Last year, I volunteered to be my son's den leader, which was my first experience as an adult leader. I have many fond memories as a Scout, and Scouting is one of the main reasons I love the outdoors as an adult. We go camping as a family every year with friends, and we've had a lot of fun! Professionally, I work in sales for a bank, but my background is teaching high school English, and I'll always be a teacher in my heart, regardless of whether I teach formally again. Personally, I love to read, so of course I love bookstores and libraries, and I love to drink coffee. I am also a huge science fiction and fantasy fan, especially Star Wars and Star Trek. I'm also a huge amusement park and rollercoaster person. I look forward to getting to know others through this Forum and becoming a better Scout leader by taking advantages of all of the wisdom, knowledge and resources available on this and other sites. I am committed to living the values of Scouting and being a great role model for my son. I can't wait to see what he accomplishes and learns as a Scout. Have a great day, all! -
captkeating - welcome to the forum
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By captkeating · Posted
I certainly hear and appreciate your frustration, and I can tell that your frustration is from a commitment to have a thriving, growing, valuable program that works and helps the Scouts get the leadership and life skills that will truly make a difference for them. I think that part of what inherently frustrating (potentially) about a program like this is that we are a volunteer army, and everyone, Scouts and adult leaders alike, are at varying levels of experience and leadership. I know that when I said yes to being my son's den leader last year when he joined as a Lion, it had been decades since I was involved in the Scouts, and that was my first time as an adult leader. I believe that Scouts and leaders at all levels are interested in and working on making Scouting the best program it can possibly be. Personally, I'm excited about upcoming changes to the Cub Scout program to make it simpler, more focused, and more effective. The acronyms you and others share in your posts make it clear to me that you are well-versed in the program and an expert on what a well-run program should look like. So, far be it from me to offer you advice about how the program should be run. It sounds like you're very clear about that already! My suggestion is to try to change your mindset to look for the good in the program, to try to be patient with the areas that aren't working or are still in progress, and to try to be a resource to the other leaders and Scouts, understanding that it does take time, and nothing really changes overnight, but over time, with sustained effort, it absolutely can. I'm clear I didn't run the Lion den last year or the Tiger den this year perfectly, but we've already had some great moments, and I'm lucky to be in a Cub Scout pack that is incredibly well-run and managed, and everyone has something to offer. I had the privilege earlier this year to organize an off-site pack night where we toured our local police department, which was fantastic, and in last week's den meeting, where we took a "hike" (basically a walk around our local park), when we walked across a boardwalk over a local creek, we saw a snapping turtle, and it was really cool! I believe that over time, you have the potential to be a serious force for good in your son's troop. That being said, based on what you shared, certainly no one could blame you for finding another local troop that is better run. For the sake of the program, I certainly hope you and your son don't give up on Scouting entirely! Please let us know how it works out, and thank you for sharing! -
By InquisitiveScouter · Posted
And, for the history buffs, see page 49 in the attachment, right side, #10. 2007 Printing, BSAGuideToSafeScouting.pdf
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